Chris DeLine

Norwegian born Ane Brun comes from an amazing background of international indie success. Her 2003 release, Spending Time with Morgan, was nominated for the 2003 Swedish Independent Music Awards and its follow-up, A Temporary Drive, went gold after only three weeks. This album is a beautifully expressive warp of emotion, stressing not merely abstract love but the despair and all that follows. The album’s fourth track, “My Lover Will Go,” is such a track. Finding that life alone becomes far too sobering, this intoxicating song saunters through a sad tale of abandoned efforts.

Far too often are female artists coupled; grouped together for no more reason than that of their sexuality and often not their sound. Brun adds an interesting take on this statement as she notes many contemporaries as her influences, something many shy away from doing for fear of those comparisons. Names like Wainwright, DiFranco, Cat Power and Jose Gonzalez are a few that stick out to me. This is important as while Brun may or may not be associated with these artists for their similar sounds, she seems to be associated with them on a far different level than many would assume. She’s not simply clumped in with female singer/songwriters, and she doesn’t seem to put herself aside from them by listing the great influence that many in that community have on one another. This sponge mentality is evident all throughout A Temporary Drive.

I can only wonder how Ron Sexsmith helped shape her with his support on “Song No. 6.” The album is a smooth wave, where you can hear the bouncy DiFranco from time to time, Chan Marshall’s picking style, and Gonzales’ soft, gentle, romantic sound. The grace that is in the music is genuinely Brun’s despite the similarities. The songs and the stories are her own, and their beauty is a surprising simplistic one that I hadn’t expected. And most importantly, the desperate loss that is clearly evident in her words seem to find a healing power, helping show the allure of her pain, and the champion of her triumph.

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]